Texas Man Sentenced for Commercial Sex Trafficking

Texas Man Sentenced for Commercial Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Grapevine, Texas, man convicted of Commercial Sex Trafficking was sentenced on September 22, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Timothy Gravens, age 55, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, lifetime of supervised release, ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and is to forfeit an Apple iPhone, a Canon camera, a Sony Cybershot camera, and $300 in U.S. currency. Gravens was one of nine men who were arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting persons willing to pay to have sex with underage girls. All nine men were indicted for Commercial Sex Trafficking.

The conviction stemmed from Gravens responding to a Craigslist.com advertisement posted by Division of Criminal Investigation undercover agents, which purported to offer young girls for sex. Following several e-mails with a person Gravens believed to be associated with a 13-year old girl, but who in fact was an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate the time and place they would meet, along with the price he would pay to have sex with the young girl, which was $300.

The undercover operation and arrests were a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins prosecuted the case.

Gravens was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.